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| AIRVIEW XTREME IMPORTS NEW AXSYS/CINEFLEX V14 |
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Through a combination of good luck and management our new production gymbal became available for export from the USA to Australia a few months ahead of time. Our contact in Australia, Jerry Grayson, called and to confirm the good news and a hectic couple of days ensued.
Passports, air tickets, clean undies and PSP battery packs were just some of the items checked and packed in a hurry. Other matters such as rental cars, accommodation and flight test arrangements were attended to along with export documentation, commercial invoices and US State Department permissions that all became part of the urgent flurry of activity. It was the first Wednesday of September that saw Nathan Tomlinson and I on a Qantas 747 off to LA.
Landing in Los Angeles early in the morning after a reasonably good sleep I felt fine and ready for the seven hour drive to Grass Valley. Nathan, on the other hand, had not slept at all so felt like death warmed up as we raced up the 405 North to Sacramento. Late summer produced some stunning weather and we enjoyed an uneventful trip to Grass Valley, a beautiful gold rush town in the mountains about an hour north east of Sacramento. After checking in to the Best Western we headed over to Nevada City for a meal. Arriving a bit late our options were limited and we ended up ordering a dubious fare and a Corona at the Crazy Horse tavern. The place certainly lived up to it's name as we had shown up on an 'open mic night'. The talent on these nights are a mixed bag and this night in particular was not going to go down as a great showcase of local musicianship! The entire place including the bar and kitchen staff, were completely smashed and their enthusiasm for the 'music' was entertaining in its own right. Our food arrived just as a very skinny, very drunk white rapper took the stage so we ate our meals quickly and hit the road. Bed was good.
The next day we arrived at the new Cineflex facility at around 9.30 am. Signage on the front of the new facility indicated the recent purchase of Cineflex by Axsys. Camera and lens testing were followed by a spectacular lunch in the heart of Grass Valley. At about 3pm we hit the road with gymbal 88 packed tight in the back of the Toyota Ciena and didn’t arrive in LA until 11.30pm. We had an early flight test booked for the next day so we hit the pit quick!
Friday dawned another sunny day and after a hasty Denny's breakfast we drove over to Van Nuys airport to meet our pilot CJ. His new B2 Squirell sat gleaming on the tarmac and was soon fitted with the Airflims gymbal mount so Nathan and I could bolt the Cineflex up and start ground testing. Success! The camera worked a treat so we were ready to try out its capabilities in flight. We took off and CJ headed for a prominent repeater tower in the Santa Monica hills, which is currently the testing location of choice. Both lenses tested beautifully and we all agreed the Cineflex V14 is almost a religious experience for any film guru. Leaving the testing grounds CJ dropped the collective and hugged the terrain all the way down a ridge line and we launched out over the Malibu coast at about 100 feet above the ocean, taking a hard right and tracking low and fast north past the untold wealth of the Malibu beachfront. CJ decided a quick check on his daughter at school was in order and then we tracked over to Hollywood for a circuit around the Playboy mansion- a personal highlight! We were back on approach to Van Nuys airport all to soon and all in all a successful testing day complete. On recommendation from an English chap from Van Nuys we headed over to Santa Monica and thoroughly enjoyed a fish and chips meal at 'The Kings Head Tavern'. A great way to finish off a great day!
With an extra 48 hours on our hands we visited Long Beach, a place I once lived during my travelling days. We hunted down a pair of cowboy boots each and went for a relaxing drive to the pristine Lake Arrowhead, behind St Bernardino to finish the trip. Nathan expressed his amazement with the huge number of H2 Hummers on the road with a “whoorrr look at that!’ every time we came within half a mile of one insisting that he needed one for negotiating Sydney traffic!
Satisfied with the camera and our overall experience we prepared ourselves for the long flight home and agreed that we should return to LA as soon as possible!
See you soon,
Stephen Brookes
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